


Unexpected Flame

by EmberLeo



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I have no idea what needs tagging..., New Mage, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Pre-Trespasser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:30:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberLeo/pseuds/EmberLeo
Summary: Inquisitor Anala Lavellan calls the four remaining masters of magic into a meeting. With Solas gone, she's going to need help with this new problem.-E-





	Unexpected Flame

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Dragon Age fanfic scene I've written out, the first fanfic I've written in 20 years, and maybe the 4th prose fanfic I've written at all. Constructive feedback is welcome, but please be kind!

Inquisitor Lavellan sat staring into the fire in Josephine's office, willing her breath to slow, her nerves to quiet. It had been less than a month since their forces had finally destroyed the ancient tainted magister, Corypheus, and his red-lyrium-corrupted high dragon. She had slept, exhausted but restless, for three full days after their sky battle. She hadn't really wanted to wake up to a world where her beloved had walked away without so much as a goodbye, much less the endless, tedious political turmoil dropped into her lap. But dreaming wasn't honestly any better, chased by dragons, demons, and glowing red behemoths. And the spiders! Why were there so damned many spiders in the Fade?

"Inquisitor." A smooth tenor voice called to her. "Inquisitor?  _ Anala! _ "

"Dorian! I'm sorry, I was..." she started, shaking her head.

"Woolgathering? Daydreaming?" he prompted, amused. "It must have been an enchanting thought indeed, to have made the likes of me seem barely worth notice!" When his friend didn't smirk back at his feigned egotism, Dorian's eyebrows knitted in concern. "What's wrong, love? Has there been news of him?"

"What?" Anala looked up at the Tevinter Altus, finally focusing on his eyes. "Oh, no, nothing. Nothing like that." She paused, taking a deep breath, and sat up straighter. "I will explain everything when the others arrive. Take a seat. Josie offered her parlor as a more comfortable option than my quarters or the war room."

"She does have a point." Dorian smiled, relieved to see his friend acting relatively normal again.

"She even promised to send us lunch here if the meeting takes that long. Josie thinks of everything."

"Indeed!" A new voice called from the corner, as the door from the main hall swung open. "We would all be quite lost without our dear diplomat, wouldn't we, darling?" First Enchanter Vivienne, regal as always, glided to a chair, smiling with genuine affection in her eyes. There weren't many people in the world Vivienne would risk showing even that much true emotion to, but the two before her had earned that much in the months behind them.

Her expression settled into her more accustomed, businesslike mask as her rivals entered the room shortly after her: former Grand Enchanter Fiona, elven leader of the rebel mages, and the infamous apostate witch, Morrigan, Empress Celene's dubious choice for an Arcane Advisor. Clearly whatever the Inquisitor wished to discuss, it involved magic. Knowing her history, it probably involved some previously-unheard-of phenomenon that presented a serious threat to all of Thedas. Vivienne smiled wryly, and sighed, as the other two women took their seats.

Anala cleared her throat, and stood up to face them. She had gathered four of the most powerful mages Thedas had to offer, each a uniquely-experienced expert in their own right. Any one of them could probably offer her more than enough help. She hoped she wasn't wasting their time, but at the very least they all deserved to know. "Thank you for coming," she started, and then paused, pursing her lips, unsure of where to begin.

"Of course, Inquisitor. What can we do for you?" Fiona nodded, reassuringly. The other three mages nodded in agreement, curious.

Rather than try to find the words, Anala held out her right hand, and focused with narrow eyes. After a moment, a curl of flame ignited the air above her palm. Dorian, Vivienne, and Morrigan each raised an eyebrow. Fiona raised both.

"I did not know you were a mage, Inquisitor!"

"She is not." Morrigan replied, "Or rather, she  _ was _ not. Curious."

"Ah. This is what you need our help for, then?" Fiona asked. Anala nodded, eyebrows still furrowed in concentration.

"We see the point, darling. You can let it go now." Vivienne said.

Anala shook her head. "I don't actually know how to turn it off without it going wild. Josie is having the curtains on my bed replaced as we speak."

Dorian stood up from his chair and walked over to his friend, taking her flaming hand gently. "Just let your breath out and relax," He instructed, "Magic responds to your feelings." He took a deep breath, to demonstrate, and slowly closed her hand into a fist, nodding encouragingly. She sighed in relief as the flame flickered out without leaping to the nearest textile.

"How did this happen?" Fiona asked.

"I don't know."

"How long has it been going on?" Vivienne asked.

"I'm not sure. There's always so much fire and ice and lightning flying across the area when I'm most upset, thanks to you all, it's hard to know if any of it was my doing. I’ve always assumed you lot just have magically perfect timing!"

Vivienne and Dorian smiled at the Inquisitor’s vote of confidence.

"What do the Elvhen say?" Morrigan asked, her melodic voice low and cautious.

Anala nodded. "They say we all have it our blood. Elves, I mean. In their time, all the People had magic." Morrigan nodded slowly, deep in thought. "Solas has told me the same, actually," she added. "Our stories do imply it, but I don't remember the Keeper ever saying anything outright."

"So it's the Well's doing, then?" Dorian mused. "I wonder if it would have had the same effect on any non-mage. Or just any elf?"

"Maybe? I don't know. It feels like the anchor is woven into it, though. I may just be a perfect storm."

"What do you need from us, darling?" Vivienne asked, bringing them back to the most pressing issue.

"I, well, I need instruction, don't I? I don't know how to control this. Solas isn't here to... When I first used the Anchor, it was Solas who showed me how. I don't even really understand how he did it. He just held my hand and it just  _ worked _ ? But this isn't like that. The Anchor has a clear purpose. This is…” she waved her hands in frustration, the Anchor in her left hand sparking green in response to her agitation, “this could be  _ anything _ !"

Dorian and Vivienne nodded, as Dorian sat back down. Fiona stood up then, to start pacing in front of the fireplace. She was not a woman accustomed to sitting for long periods of time.

Vivienne took charge. "Instruction we can do, dear. But first tell us, please, what you've done with it so far. Fire we've seen. Anything else?"

"Ice. And maybe some time distortion. I’m not sure what else."

Dorian looked surprised. "Time magic is very advanced! But then, you've experienced it more than most, I suppose. Still, I wouldn't have thought anyone could do it on instinct alone."

"I might have been imagining it? I'm not entirely sure. It just seemed like everything around me suddenly got  _ very slooow _ , the way it did in Redcliff. You weren't there to hasten me, and I don't think Vivienne does time magic, do you?" she said, turning to the Circle mage.

"No, time is not something I trifle with,” Vivienne replied, her expression stern.

"So, either my mind was playing tricks on me, or I did something odd? I suppose there might be other answers. Sera has those potions, doesn't she? But Sera wasn't there either."

"Let's assume you did accidentally hasten yourself, for now." Dorian concluded. "If nothing else, teaching you how is certainly worth the  _ time _ ." Anala rolled her eyes at the terrible pun.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Morrigan asked.

"Leliana knows, of course, and Josie has probably figured it out now. Cassandra was with me when I accidentally froze the bathwater. She dispelled it for me, thankfully. I would have told Solas immediately if he..." Anala shook her head, and continued, "I don't want to tell Cullen until I have a better idea what's going on, some control over it. Oh! But I should probably ask-"

"How can I help?" a young man dressed in rogue leathers and a patched muslin shirt appeared abruptly, as usual, crouched on the low table between them. His head and shoulders were all but hidden under his giant hat, as he stared, expression blank, at the Inquisitor’s knees.

"- Cole." Anala finished, grinning for the first time since entering the room.

"Why Cole?" Fiona asked. Dorian seemed equally curious. Vivienne frowned in disapproval. Morrigan smiled slightly, nodding, but didn't speak.

" _ Daggers dangerous, flying fast. Bull is bleeding. Too much, too fast! _ " Cole began muttering quietly, his head tilted to one side. " _ Won't get there in time! There's not enough TIME! _ "

"Ahhh, yes. Well there you have it. You did use time magic!" Dorian grinned.

"Cole can help me sort out what's happening in the parts of my mind - my spirit - that I can’t see." Anala agreed. "Well, that, and... he's the only one left who might know what Solas knew."

Cole looked up at Anala’s face, compassion filling his eyes. " _ Watching, always watching. A wolf to hunt the huntress. But never too close.  _ Do you want me to find him?"

Anala met Cole’s eyes, surprised. "Find him? You think you can find him? Leliana hasn't been able to find him!"

"Leliana would search the dreams if she could."

"Oh, yes, of course. But if you search for him in dreams, won't he see you coming?"

"No. Maybe? Wolves like me."

"Wolves...?" Anala looked confused, and then shrugged. She only understood half of Cole's abstractions, anyway. How Solas understood him so well, she'd never know. But then Solas had many spirit friends, and was a master of cryptic remarks himself. "Regardless, yes, please, Cole, if you can find Solas, tell him... Tell him I need him."

"You always need him." Cole replied. Anala looked down, willing herself not to cry again, and then up, her face schooled into a determined expression.

"This is different, Cole. Tell him it's about the Anchor, and the Well. I doubt he'll come back, but maybe he can at least send me a message. I don't know what else to do."

"I will tell him, if it will help." Cole agreed.

"I think it will help, Cole, yes."

The young man disappeared as abruptly as he had arrived, leaving the four mages and the... leaving the  _ five _ mages to their deliberations. For a moment, none of them spoke. Then Vivienne broke the silence, amused.

"Well, at least we won't have to put you through the Harrowing!"

Fiona looked at Vivienne, startled, and then burst out laughing. The two shared a rare moment of agreement as the Tevinter mage and Witch of the Wilds looked on, bemused.


End file.
